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I just don't see how keeping Youkilis as depth and a PH option and backup at 1B/3B/DH wasn't better than paying for him to play for another team. If Middlebrooks, Gonzalez, or Ortiz gets hurt, Cherington is going to look mighty stupid.

I just don't see how keeping Youkilis as depth and a PH option and backup at 1B/3B/DH wasn't better than paying for him to play for another team. If Middlebrooks, Gonzalez, or Ortiz gets hurt, Cherington is going to look mighty stupid.

That's interesting. I haven't quite figured out how to articulate it but you get me closer, how do the Sox win this deal? This really is a zero upside trade.

It really seems to be based on the idea that "unhappy Youk == problem", whether in terms of being less effective or being a pain in the clubhouse or going on the radio and souring the listeners on the team. I don't tend to give that much credence, but maybe Ben, Bobby & co. know something we don't.

If Youkilis couldn't be a piece of a winning team as a sometimes starter between those 3 positions, that's a poor reflection on Valentine's ability to manage his players. Period.

Joe Maddon or TLR or 2003-2007 era Francona would have no issues getting Youkilis and Middlebrooks and Gonzalez and Ortiz all into the lineup enough to make them all succeed and make the team win. It's a sign of a bad manager if he needs to get the GM to dump a useful player.

"Youks, obviously with Middllebrooks playing well ever since the beginning of the year (first at Pawtucket, with no falloff when you got hurt and we had to call him up to the majors) there's little to no chance we're picking up your option for next year. We've also decided to limit your ABs and therefore your free agent value by using you as a bench player. You know, just like we ###### with your potential compensation at the beginning of your career by burying you behind the corpse of Kevin Millar (remember all those statheads at BTF screaming "Free Youks!" back in '05?). You'll be OK with that, right?"

Thinking Terry Francona would have automatically handled this situation properly is truly hilarious when you remember how he handled the Millar//Mueller/Youkilis rotation in '05. The one guy who should have been playing the most is the one who was buried.